Determining the factors associated with oral health-related quality of life in Chinese elders: Findings from the fourth national survey.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the associations between the self-reported oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of older Chinese people and their socio-economic status and oral health using data collected in the 4th National Oral Health Survey.

Methods: After multistage stratified cluster sampling, 4332 adults aged 65-74 years participated in the study. After a clinical examination, the participants completed a structured questionnaire. A Mandarin version of the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) was included in the questionnaire. Clinical examinations were carried out using the criteria recommended by the World Health Organization. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the associations of the clinical and socio-demographic variables with the GOHAI scores of the participants.

Results: The weighted mean (SE) GOHAI score was 51.6 (0.0). Female sex and having more than 10 missing teeth, unrestored tooth spaces, more than 10 decayed teeth and a periodontal pocket ≥6 mm were negatively associated with the GOHAI score, while having a higher education level and living in the Eastern region of China were positively associated with the GOHAI score.

Conclusion: After adjustment for confounders, the OHRQoL of older Chinese individuals was mainly affected by untreated dental caries and the loss of teeth. Older Chinese individuals who were male, had a higher education level, were from the Eastern region, had no unrestored tooth spaces or deep periodontal pockets and had fewer decayed or missing teeth had higher GOHAI scores, indicating better OHRQoL.